Dropped
by dooder's nin
Summary: An invitation that Arthur extends to Alfred to visit his house leads to patience being tried and the phrase 'dropped as a child' being tossed around thanks to a little too much to drink one night. Arthur does his best to ignore it while Alfred doesn't seem to be bothered, Matthew is curious, and Francis is enjoying things too much for Arthur as he runs with the clichéd gossip...


Arthur was in a bit of a panic, not that he would ever outwardly show it too much, especially around a certain few personifications he'd make sure never to outright panic in front of. It was raining again, like usual, except that there seemed to be more water than usually was handled. It wasn't a tremendous flood, but it was still enough to cause a bit of mayhem here and there. This was made even more so by the fact that everybody seemed to want to take picture of the areas with higher water rather than actually stay away until the waters receded. And to top it all off, Arthur was also expecting a visitor and one who he knew would only add to his feelings of frustration and irritation despite whatever good intentions the other man might have. As it was, Arthur was doing his best to contribute to efforts to deal with the fact that there were some issues with the zoo nearby, caused by the excess waters. Fortunately, it didn't seem like the animals that were currently being looked for were in any enclosures that held animals that might decide to snack on people like in other instances of zoos with escaped animals. He was in the middle of heading back to the zoo during one of the moments when it seemed like the rain had finally let up, when he received a phone call, grumbling at the name that showed up.

"Hello Alfred. Now is not a good time." He said bluntly, trying not to immediately snap at the other man. Checking his watch he internally sighed at the realization that the other personification had likely already landed.

"I know, I know." Alfred's bubbly voice answered. "I can find your place on my own." He said, Arthur highly doubting that with the other's limited sense of direction outside his own borders. "But, uh…there might be something over by where I am that you should probably look into." He said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice that caught the older nation's attention.

"Well?" He said, his patience not at its best at the moment as he urged the other to get to the point. He heard Alfred chuckle once before clearing his throat.

"I'm pretty sure penguins aren't native to your land, right?" Alfred said. "'Cuz I'm lookin' at a bunch over here. At least, I think they're penguins. Maybe they're those puffin birds like I think one of the Nordics always has. I dunno, but it looks like they were trying to find a good spot for a swim." He said, Arthur groaning at having Alfred be the one to find the remaining missing animals. "These suckers are fast too. Took a while, but they're all in my car." He said, Arthur's eyes widening at the image. Now that he thought about it, he could hear some very bird-like honks in the background. "Just need to know where to drive. You drive on the _other_ side of the road here, right?" He asked, Arthur taking a deep breath through his nose to get his bearings.

"Yes Alfred. Did you _just_ remember that?" He asked before he could catch himself. Alfred gave a carefree laugh before shouting something Arthur believed was addressed to the flightless birds in the back of his care.

"Ah, well, not _just_. Your roads are all screwy." Alfred said, leaving Arthur to fill in the blanks on his own. There was no doubt in the British man's mind that the other nation had probably spent the better part of the hour that Arthur had forgotten about to pick him up, driving on the opposite side of the road as Alfred adhered to his North American road system.

"Never mind. Just stay where you are and I'll come meet you there." Arthur said, hearing distinctly a few more honking sounds in the background loud and clear. "Do you know where you are?" He asked in a hopeful voice, knowing the answer already.

"Um…I went straight for a while before I took a couple of rights. Oh! That's definitely the Thames River. I've just been following that and figured I'd get to your place eventually. You said you lived nearby it." Alfred said with a laugh as he then said something to one of the penguins in his car.

"Fine. Just, stay there." Arthur said, not a clue where Alfred was at with those vague details. It seemed to have slipped the American's mind that the Thames had a bit of a stretch to it. It wasn't Alfred's Mississippi or any other of the American's robust rivers, but it might take a while to find the other.

"Awesome, 'cuz I'm not actually in the car right now. They're cute but they're hungry and aiming for my hands." Alfred said. "And don't do that silently judging me thing. I was using the GPS in the car…I just, didn't remember your exact address." He said, sounding proud of himself for finding a way to get around what many others had told him was a lack of geographic awareness. He was plenty aware, he thought, just not all at the same time.

With that said, Arthur hung up and called the zookeepers with the news on their missing penguins. He was able to get some help to bring them back in, the zookeepers optimistic that the birds couldn't have gotten too far and so Alfred was likely only a few miles away. In fact, it only took fifteen minutes for Arthur to find his American guest, Alfred standing outside his car and tapping at the windows to get a reaction from the birds, a cat carrier in his hands that held Hero so that the cat could see the penguins too. He gave his usual happy smile to Arthur upon seeing him, waving him over to look at the birds.

"Look! That's all of 'em, right?" Alfred said, the zookeepers doing a quick count and breathing a sigh of relief at seeing the seven missing birds all accounted for in the car. They quickly were able to get them back into their cages with a brief farewell to Arthur. "Phew, that was fun. Ha ha ha…" Alfred said, brushing off the dirt on the rental car seats. He took a quick look around the car to see that there was barely any damage done by the critters while they were inside, Alfred popping open the trunk.

"Why don't you let me drive you to my house, hmm?" Arthur said with a bit of a smirk as Alfred fiddled around with something in the trunk. "What are you doing back there Alfred?" He asked, coming around to see what might be delaying the other personification. He figured the other had probably used up the snacks he carried as a way to get the penguins into his car, but with his patience having already been stretched, he wasn't in the mood to put up with Alfred's usual insistence to grab a quick snack from wherever he usually kept them. But as he came closer, he gasped at seeing Alfred with a first aid kit out and taking care of his hands. "What happened?" Arthur asked, grabbing the kit and taking over for Alfred.

"I told you they were bitey. One of the little guys got me. It's nothin'" He said, letting Arthur look over the cut on the back of his hand. It really wasn't much of a cut, but not being able to pop the trunk meant he'd had to wait to clean it and there was smeared blood on his hand. "No,no, wait." Alfred said in an attempt to halt Arthur's movements, but the British man had already gone ahead with the antiseptic spray before Alfred could protest. The American's eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few times silently before he lout out a high-pitched squeak. "Ow!" He said, pulling his hand away and shaking a few times before holding it close to him and away from Arthur.

"Don't be such a baby Alfred." Arthur said with a roll of his eyes. "It was just to clean it out. I doubt those birds had anything that might make you ill, but it never hurts to be cautious." He said, taking out the small amount of gauze to wrap the other's hand. He'd had several years of practice in taking care of the younger personification, his little brother always getting into difficult situations and getting all sorts of bumps and bruises when he'd go a little too far in his games or exploring.

"Yes, yes it _does_ hurt. Ow, Arthur, you did that just to be mean!" Alfred said, taking the gauze from Arthur in an attempt to wrap his hand. Arthur chuckled a couple of times, unwilling to admit that the look on Alfred's face as the sting belatedly registered on the other's face was humorous.

"That's not true and you know it." Arthur said, grabbing the bandage Alfred was fumbling with in his hand. "Besides, you know there are plenty of other ways I could get back at you." He said, Alfred rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath that Arthur couldn't make out. Patting his hand once he'd finished and receiving a hiss from Alfred at the irritation to his cut, Arthur smirked and got inside the car. He checked the GPS to see where Alfred thought he was going and sighed. Once again, the other was going the wrong way. True, he'd attempted to reach the house he'd visited a couple of times, but Arthur had told him that he was staying in a different house at the moment. Still, he supposed it was lucky that Alfred did go the wrong way or there would be penguins in the Thames. Alfred grumbled a few more times on the way to Arthur's house, but jetlag was catching up and Arthur found himself with a sleepy American personification beside him. He smiled fondly at Alfred as he briefly glanced over to him.

Pulling up alongside the house he'd intended to use to host Alfred, a castle that was in need of a few repairs but otherwise nestled away from the usual traffic. The American had mentioned wanting to see one of Arthur's old houses during a previous visit and Arthur thought he might be able to kill two birds with one stones by making the offer for Alfred to come over. He had thought that with Alfred's help, he might be able to restore the place a little, so long as there were no 'special touches' by Alfred during that time. But with the rains heavier than expected, he wasn't too sure what to expect for the next couple of days other than the certainty that Alfred would insist on Arthur coming to visit one of Alfred's 'newer and better' houses. It had been a while since there was a purely social visit to any of Alfred's houses, but Arthur did his best to not dwell on that for too long, Hero's persistent meowing to be done with the car ride overriding any drawn-out thoughts. He shushed the cat a few times, gaining only a mild response from the cat before all of Alfred's bags were out of the car.

"Alright Alfred, we're here. Wake up or you're not going to be able to sleep tonight like you should." Arthur said, earning a groan and plea for a few more minutes. Shaking his head, Arthur resorted to pinching Alfred's nose and covering his mouth gently, the lack of air causing the other man to quickly open his eyes and bat the other man's hands away from his face.

"What are tryin' to do?!" Alfred asked as he caught his breath, Arthur chuckling a little as he took a step back to allow Alfred to get out of the car. "Shoulda known there was an ulterior motive to your invitation…" He said, standing up with an unamused look on his face.

"Yes, well, desperate measures are often required to get _your highness_ up." Arthur said sarcastically. Alfred scoffed as he picked up one of his bags while Arthur carried Hero. "That's _Mr. President_ to you. And is that why you keep trying to beat me up today? I've been nothing but nice today – even got you your birds back." He continued to complain as the two entered the building, Alfred belatedly realizing it was a small castle. He instantly dropped his bag onto Arthur's foot before stepping back outside with a childish expression of awe and wonder as he circled the building. Hoping on one foot while trying to maintain his grip on the cat carrier, Arthur placed Hero on one of the chairs in the sitting room area before coming back outside.

"Whoa, cool." Alfred said as he smiled over to Arthur. "Was this…" He started to ask, but Arthur had already caught onto where he was headed.

"It was a while ago since it was built but not more than a few centuries. If I recall correctly, it was built in the style of a lord's manorial castle since it is usually just me and a few servants. And Francis when he's particularly obnoxious." Arthur said as he stood next to Alfred. "I was rather hoping you might like to help with some of the restoration work I've planned for this building. I've kept it up, but there are several things I've just not had the time to attend to, and it is a miracle that it's still standing after all that's happened in this area." He said diplomatically. The castle was a few hours west of where Alfred had been heading and was out of the immediate city, but air raids from the second World War had done damage to plenty of historical buildings too.

"Sure. It'll be fun." Alfred said with a smile. "Needed me for the heavy lifting, huh old man?" Alfred teased, gaining the predictable reaction of hostility from Arthur and laughing. But Arthur just grumbled like usual as the two entered into the castle again, Alfred's cat meowing loudly to be let out of the carrier to greet the cat that was sniffing around in greeting. "Aw, Hero's anxious for a playdate." Alfred said as he let his cat out, the energetic kitty nearly knocking over Arthur's cat as he burst from the opening. Alfred laughed as the two cats reacquainted themselves, Arthur understanding the look his cat was shooting to him. He sighed and let his cat use him as a barrier, the two cats running around his legs until Arthur's cat decided to shimmy up his owner's legs. Alfred laughed even harder at the face Arthur made as he detached his cat from him to hold, stroking his fur a few times before setting his cat on one of the couch's cushions.

"Alfred, keep an eye on your cat. Like I said, I'm still in the process of restoring things and I'd hate to find your cat has gone and gotten himself trapped in the walls." Arthur said, Alfred waving off his concern. "I'm serious Alfred. Why did you even bring your cat this time? It's only for a few days, right?" Arthur asked as the two got settled into the house.

"Well Hero gets lonely when it's just him. Tony and he get along great but he likes to move around from house to house sometimes and I've told him not to try beaming my cat from one place to another." Alfred said as they headed up the stairs, Arthur rolling his eyes at the other. Although, he wouldn't put it past Alfred's unique friend to do just that. "Anyway, what about watchin' _your_ cat?" Alfred asked, stopping when Arthur indicated which room he'd set up for Alfred. The two entered the modest-sized room which obviously had been carefully worked on by Arthur as it was set up with everything necessary as opposed to some of the other rooms Alfred had glimpsed that still looked in need of attention.

Placing the suitcase he'd been carrying on the bed, Arthur turned to shoot a look at Alfred. "I don't have to worry about my cat. He's not as rambunctious as yours is apparently." Arthur said, nodding his head over to where Alfred's cat was batting the strings to the blinds for the window. Alfred sighed and gently picked up his cat, petting it affectionately before placing Hero on the bed. Arthur shook his head, watching as pet and owner seemed to mirror each other.

"Sure, sure." Alfred said as he began to unzip his bags, Arthur unable to keep from stroking the fur around the cat's neck that almost perfectly matched the collar of Alfred's bomber jacket. The cut purred at the attention, Arthur seeing how much both the cat and Alfred craved being around others.

"Well, I'll let you get settled and make dinner." Arthur said, Alfred's movements stilling as he looked over to the older man warily. "Relax, I'm just reheating something I picked up earlier. I didn't think I'd have time to prepare a proper meal with all the running about today. But I'll be able to make something heartier for tomorrow." He said, Alfred still looking a little concerned. Arthur rolled his eyes as he shut the door and went to do as he said.

After their dinner, with the electricity going on and off due to storms, the two spent a little time playing a few card games until they decided to head to bed a little early. Alfred lay in bed, not used to heading to bed that early unless he was ill or completely exhausted. He tried to even out his breathing and was nearing sleep when he heard an eerie bump from above him. He cracked open one eye to look around, the fact that he was in an old castle making his imagination start to go wild. Hearing it again, he sat upright and clutched the sheet tighter, shaking a little. Gathering up his courage, he bolted from his bed to race down to Arthur's room. He caught his breath before he opened the other's door slowly, peeking inside to see the British personification sound asleep on his side in his bed. Alfred bit his lip, trying to decide if he should just slide into bed with the older man. Instead, he shut the door and took a deep breath, deciding to go and take care of whatever was wrong, his desire to be the hero taking over. He climbed the steps to the attic once he found them, slowly making his way into the room. Hearing something scurrying about, he grabbed something to defend himself with. In the dark he could only tell that it was a pole of some sort, but it was better than nothing even though he would've preferred his gun. After a few minutes of silence and staring into the dark while shaking a little, he let himself relax under the assumption that there was really nothing there. His grip slackened on the pole and he breathed a heavy sigh, about to head back down to his room. A loud clattering of things falling immediately to his rights had him jumping and letting out a shout, lifting the pole to swing at whatever ghost was about to attack. Instead he hit the roof and his super strength caused the pole to go through the roof and create a small hole, a familiar meow cluing him into who was the actual culprit.

"Hero…" Alfred whined, feeling his cat rubbing up against his legs. He dropped the pole and lifted up his cat into his arms, hugging him tight as the adrenaline from his scare began to wear off. Looking up now into the night sky, he shook his head. "You're proving Arthur right, cat. Now there's a hole in the roof." He said as he made his way back to his room, his cat purring in obliviousness to the issue that his owner was thinking over. Settling back into bed, he found getting back to sleep just as difficult as before with the knowledge that he was in for some ranting tomorrow.

* * *

Arthur was, predictably, not enthused to hear about another piece of damage to add to his list of restoration projects for this castle. Alfred had sheepishly admitted to having accidentally poked a hole in the roof while they were eating breakfast, Arthur thanking whatever fairies that had been keeping watch that Alfred hadn't knocked the whole house down. Alfred had immediately offered to fix the damage first thing after breakfast which led them to standing out on the balcony, Arthur holding the bottom of a ladder while Alfred climbed onto the roof. The cats had been sequestered in one room to keep from 'helping' in their own way.

"Why couldn't I have just patched it up on the inside?" Alfred asked as he balanced on the roof, making Arthur bite his lip in worry. He could just see one misstep and Alfred taking a tumble off the roof.

"That wouldn't have solved the problem for too long and water would've gotten under the other tiles." Arthur answered. "It's your own fault for being up here today. What possessed you to come up here anyway? How on earth did you do this?" Arthur asked as he watched Alfred get to work. He knew the American personification was plenty capable of building houses from scratch, his pioneering days a testament to that even if now things might be a little different in construction methods.

"I told you. I was worried about you." Alfred said, Arthur feeling his face heat up a little at the admission of Alfred caring about his wellbeing. "I was going to de-ghost the place." He said, beginning to hammer into place one of the materials he was using to replace the missing piece of wood.

"Yes, well, I suppose I should be grateful. At least you didn't try to act out that 'Ghostbusters' movie of yours. The castle wouldn't be standing after you took a flamethrower to it." Arthur teased, Alfred laughing as he grabbed a nail he'd been holding in his mouth to hammer into the roof again.

"Those were supposed to be awesome lasers or something. But flamethrowers and lasers, same thing. I'd have been totally awesome at it though." Alfred said, Arthur shaking his head at Alfred's response. "But I grabbed some sort of pole in the attic. Couldn't see what it was in the dark." He said, causing the other man to scrunch up his face in thought.

"Pole? What are you – oh my God, Alfred….did you use my old javelin?" Arthur asked, squinting up as he tried to look up at Alfred as he shielded his face from the sun. Hearing a noncommittal noise from Alfred, Arthur gave a heavy sigh.

"If I did, that'd be pretty cool. Just like a knight in a jousting tournament, right?" Alfred said, shifting a little to get better footing. "Ha ha ha…see, I was gonna be your knight in shining armor." Alfred said as he laughed loudly.

"Just hurry up. You're making me nervous watching you scurry about up there." Arthur grouched, Alfred waving down to him. Arthur scoffed at the disregard for safety, although it was more to cover his worry. Alfred was well away from the ladder and if he should trip, Arthur wasn't sure he'd be able to get to him in time to prevent a nasty fall that could possibly be disastrous. He was looking out over the lawn when he noticed a car in his driveway that he'd had the misfortune to grow familiar with it and its owner. He shouted up for Alfred not to move at all while he went inside for just a moment. Receiving yet another wave from Alfred, Arthur quickly head back inside the castle, only making it down the corridor before coming face to face with Francis. Both men jumped back a little in surprise, Francis smiling at Arthur.

"Ah, mon lapin, there you are." Francis said, taking the opportunity of having Arthur so close to pull the other man into a crushing hug. Arthur squirmed in the Frenchman's grasp, Francis' hands wandering lower than they should. Squirming his way out, Arthur glared as best he could as the French personification. "I was concerned with hearing about the flooding and thought you might be in need of someone to ease some of that stress, hon hon hon." Francis said with a smirk.

" _I'm sure_. You were hoping I'd be flat on my back again like the last time there was flooding." Arthur said, Francis shrugging with smirk still in place in neither confirmation nor denial. "Anyway, I'm not alone." Arthur continued, Francis' eyes lighting up and hand flying to his chest.

"Mon cher, what have you been up to without me?" Francis said, chuckling as Arthur's face became red at getting worked up by Francis' teasing. "You know, a threesome is always more interesting if…"

"Shut up bloody frog. You do that to me on purpose." Arthur said to the perpetual flirt. Francis may be open to almost anything, but there were plenty of things the other did solely because he knew it would set the 'uptight and emotionally distant' man into a tizzy.

"Oh, there could be many things I could do to you, if you are asking. Hon hon hon…" Francis said, Arthur continuing to glare at him. "But I had nothing but good intentions in my heart, as always mon ami." He said with a smile, although Arthur didn't look all that convinced.

"And you just happened to find my door unlocked?" Arthur asked, Francis shrugging. "Actually, that is exactly what I found. I grew worried when I couldn't find you in any room, but that is understandable since so many seem to be dilapidated." Francis said as he swiped a finger across a windowsill to show the other man the dust.

"I am well aware, Francis. It's why I have help here right now to assist my efforts to restore this home of mine." He said. "Wait, did you go into my bedroom?" Arthur asked, Francis rolling his eyes at such a question that Arthur should know the obvious answer. "Did you shut the door again?" He asked, walking by the other personification to head back to his room to check. But before he could check for himself, two cats came scurrying down the hall and between the two men.

"When did you get another cat Arthur?" Francis asked as he watched them continue to race, Arthur's cat in the lead as he was clearly being pursued by the other.

"I didn't. That's Alfred's bloody cat!" Arthur said, taking off after them. "I need to keep them contained, otherwise…" He was saying as he and Francis took off down the hall, only to hear a crash of something. Arthur's eyes widened as he realized the direction that the two felines had been heading. He grabbed Francis' sleeve and tugged him along to the balcony to see exactly what he'd feared. Alfred had apparently been coming down the ladder to grab more supplies despite Arthur's plea to stay still while alone, the cats causing the ladder to tilt enough as they ran around it on the balcony to topple it over. The ladder lay on the ground below while Alfred dangled from the edge of the roof where the ladder had deposited him, out of reach of the balcony.

"Oh my God…hold on Alfred!" Arthur shouted as he watched his younger brother kicking about as he tried to lift himself back up onto the roof.

"No, I think I'll just let go…" Alfred sarcastically responded while sliding back a little more as he lost some of his grip. Arthur gasped before looking over his possible options. He ran back inside, leaving Francis out on the balcony suggesting to Alfred to try slowly heading closer to the balcony so that he could reach out to Alfred. The American tried to go with that plan but was stopped when he felt something grabbing at his legs. He jerked around a little as he tried to get free to keep moving sideways.

"Alfred! Alfred stop kicking!" Arthur shouted from where he was leaning out of the window, reaching around to try and get a hold of Alfred's legs. "I've got you lad! Stop kicking!" He called out, Alfred finally realizing what was happening. "Let go slowly and I'll pull you in!"

Alfred gave a disbelieving laugh. "Nah uh, you'll drop me Arthur! I'm too heavy for you." He said, hearing Francis ask for them to wait before seeing the Frenchman disappear off the balcony. Moments later he heard Arthur asking him again to let go so he could be pulled inside, urging him with the information that Francis had joined him and was there to help with lifting him back inside. Alfred made a noise close to a whimper as he looked at the drop to the ground, knowing that while it might be difficult to kill a personification, it wasn't impossible. Falling off a castle roof might qualify as one of those things that might do the trick.

"Come on lad. Trust me." Arthur said, Alfred nodding his head even though he knew Arthur wouldn't see that. Ever so slowly, he let himself lower more, feeling Arthur's hands guiding him closer to the window. "Let go now Alfred. We can't pull you in from that far out. I've got a hold of you. You'll be alright." Arthur encouraged, Alfred clenching his eyes shut as he did as Arthur asked. He gave a shout as he felt himself fall for a moment before the grip on him tightened and he felt himself being pulled. He opened his eyes and reached for the window as much as he could, Arthur's face showing his difficulty in pulling Alfred back inside. But Alfred was back inside the castle shortly, collapsing on top of Arthur as the two of them breathed heavily. Francis also seemed a little winded as he stood off to the side from having kept Arthur steady and from falling out the window too.

"Thanks." Alfred breathed out, rolling off his former caretaker to lie beside him on the floor, both of them still panting. Arthur patted the American man's leg as he looked over to him.

"Oh, America. Your side." Francis said, coming closer to the two still on the floor. Alfred lifted his arm to see what Francis was saying, twisting a little to see his shirt ripped where he'd scraped it on the side of the roof as he'd fallen.

"'S not too bad." Alfred said in an unconcerned tone. "Could've been worse." He said, able to get to his feet and offering a hand to Arthur, pulling him upright. "But roof's fixed!" Alfred said with a small smile, Arthur shaking his head at Alfred's attitude.

"Come on. Let's get you out of that shirt." Arthur said, shooting a warning look to Francis to keep him from making any sort of inappropriate innuendo in an attempt to break the tension. Alfred didn't protest, slipping off the shirt before they even left the room despite Francis' presence. "Doesn't look too bad. Not more than that cut on your hand." Arthur said as he looked over Alfred, Francis making a humorous face as he watched the two of them.

"Both of which were your fault." Alfred said with a smirk, knowing full well that he might have had a part in gaining those injuries. He often found himself with a scrape or cut here and there from one of his adventures, but it would be gone in a day or two thanks to his fast healing. As expected, Arthur went from looking concerned to frustrated with Alfred, the American man laughing as he hurried off to go clean up and get a new shirt.

"So he managed to get his shirt off, hmm?" Francis asked with a laugh as he followed Alfred's retreat with his eyes. "You can see my influence on him." He said with a more genuine smile while Arthur just scoffed at the other man.

"Is there an actual reason other than your supposed 'worry' that you visited? I must say I am impressed that you remembered where I was staying, or have you been cavorting about my lands all morning?" Arthur asked as he and Francis went back to the first floor to wait for Alfred, Arthur tossing Alfred's ruined shirt into the trash.

"I am excellent at cavorting, but I really was worried about you mon ami." Francis said. "As hard as that may be for you to believe, I thought a casual visit would be just what you might need. Clearly you thought so as well with your invitation you extended to Alfred." He said, walking into Arthur's kitchen to fix himself a drink without asking Arthur's permission. But Arthur was used to such things; letting Francis rummage in his kitchen was usually better than having him list all the reasons why he thought Arthur should never be allowed in a kitchen. Arthur sighed but sat in one of his chairs as he watched Francis make himself at home like usual. "Good thing I showed up when I did, no?" He said, Arthur taking a deep breath and nodding his thanks to the Frenchman.

"Again, I thank you for your concern, but there is really no need for you to trouble yourself here any longer. Alfred is here and…" He started to say as he tried to persuade Francis to head back across the English Channel. But the difficult weather and the night spent in the drafty room so that Alfred wouldn't have to deal with it was catching up to him, Arthur sneezing a few times into the crook of his arm.

"Ah! You see! I know you almost better than you know yourself Arthur." Francis said, turning around and placing a warm cup of tea in front of Arthur. "And I know that with Alfred around, you would not take care of yourself like you should. Do you want to have _Alfred_ be the one to take care of you, just the two of you?" Francis asked with a knowing look in his eye. Alfred could very easily take care of Arthur and would be more than happy to do so, but the other man would also have to put up with the American's version of 'resting' while sick that might make getting to sleep difficult.

"Aw, Iggy, you should've just told me." Alfred said, startling Arthur as he walked into the kitchen with a new t-shirt on, hair wet from his shower. He walked to fridge and pulled out one of the sodas Arthur had stocked it with in preparation for Alfred's visit. "I'm the best at taking care of ya'" He said with a smile as he twisted off the cap and downed almost half the bottle. "Hey! I'll make lunch in a little bit." He announced, Francis immediately agreeing to that suggestion and offering ideas, the two personifications talking over Arthur's protests.

Instead, Alfred lifted him up, ignoring the cut on his side as he easily got a hold on Arthur and carried him to the sitting room. Alfred gently plopped Arthur down on the couch and grabbed a blanket that had been thrown over the back of one of the chairs, tucking it around Arthur with a smile. Seeing the look on Alfred's face to make up for Arthur having rescued him earlier, the older man sighed and made himself comfortable on the couch while Alfred headed back to the kitchen. He had wanted to get more sleep as soon as he'd woken up, but Alfred's guilty conscious made it impossible for him to fall back asleep until he'd told him what had happened. The couch wasn't the most comfortable piece of furniture, but Arthur found himself drifting off as he snuggled up in the blanket. Alfred returned shortly with Arthur's cup of tea, placing it next to Arthur on the side table. Arthur then felt a hand on his forehead, opening his eyes to see Alfred looking a little more worried than before.

"It's just the sniffles Alfred. I'll be fine." Arthur said as he sat up, grabbing the cup of tea and taking a few sips. "Honestly. You and Francis seem to think I'm some frail, sickly thing about to break if I so much as sneeze." He said as he pulled the blanket back around him.

"Well, you do catch just about everything…" Alfred said, earning a glare from Arthur. "But if you want to take a nap, I can carry you back to the room I'm using. Hero's in there now but I'm sure he'll let you share the bed." Alfred said with a smile, Arthur feeling his own smile itching to break out.

"No. I'm alright here for now." Arthur said, Alfred still looking concerned for his former caretaker. At Arthur's urging, Alfred went back into the kitchen and Alfred let himself fall asleep for some rest to get rid of any trace of an oncoming illness. He woke to find that it was mid-afternoon and he was indeed in Alfred's room. He was at first irritated that Alfred hadn't just listened to him, but he found he really did prefer the bed, even if that came with Hero lounging on the pillow around his head like a halo. Coming out of the room with a yawn, he heard Alfred and Francis talking down the hall and found the two of them in his room. About to shout at them for invading his privacy, especially Francis, he caught himself as he saw that the two of them were finishing up with sealing the room so it would no longer have that draft Arthur had been meaning to address. Alfred was the first to notice him as he wiped his hands off on his pants, face lighting up.

"Hey, how're ya' feelin'?" Alfred asked as he packed up the things he and Francis had been using. "Hope you don't mind me and Francis taking over for you while you were sleeping…" He said, Francis rolling his eyes at the still-sleepy Britain standing in the doorway.

"There is something for you to eat if you are hungry Arthur. I made it myself so you can be sure it is most delectable." Francis said, snapping Arthur out of his sleepy state. Alfred laughed as he walked past them to replace the tools in the room Arthur had shown him earlier when they'd been repairing the roof.

"You didn't need to stick around Francis." Arthur said, but the Frenchman shrugged. "No, but I did. But I will be heading back to my home soon. I have no intention of staying in any of these old rooms." He said with a smirk as he patted Arthur on the shoulder, the other man looking back with an unamused expression. "I'll leave you in Alfred's capable hands. Unless of course you wish to _beg_ me to stay…hon hon hon…" Francis said, Arthur removing the other man's hand from his shoulder and following after Alfred while Francis continued to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Alfred asked as he met the two of them at the bottom of the stairs. Arthur continued walking back to the couch while Francis grabbed his rain jacket. "Nothing, mon ami. I don't envy you with how stubborn he is going to be with this cold. Au revoir mes amis. ʺ Francis said as he gave a wave to them before heading out.

With things now just between the two of them, the house fell silent again as Arthur tried to deny the fact that he was a little under the weather. He tried instead to steer conversation toward restoration plans, asking for Alfred to help with certain things and finding the younger man to be oddly compliant in his requests. _If being sick makes him not talk back like usual, perhaps I should just tell him that every time he barges in on me,_ Arthur thought. Although, he figured the other man would eventually catch onto what was going on and probably would not be too pleased, likely tossing the description of 'the boy who cried wolf' to Arthur more than he already did. The leftover food Francis and Alfred had prepared earlier settled Arthur's stomach and with the electricity back to being reliable, the two spent the evening watching a few movies Alfred had insisted on bringing with him to share with Arthur.

Arthur was heading towards his room when Alfred's grip on his arm steered him to Alfred's room. "What are you doing?" Arthur asked in a tired voice, not willing to play any of Alfred's games that night.

"You're the one who needs a warm room and soft bed. Your room needs time for the sealant chemicals to air out a little so you can't sleep in there." Alfred said, dragging Arthur the rest of the way into the other room, Hero still on the pillow looking as though he hadn't moved at all. "I'll take the couch and we'll both be happy." Alfred said, smiling proudly for coming up with that plan and Arthur had to internally admit that it was logical and caring at the same time. He nodded to Alfred and the two parted as soon as Alfred grabbed a pillow to head back downstairs.

Arthur was woken out of his sleep roughly as a nightmare ended, leaving him panting a little as he took a moment to remember why he was not in his usual room. The cats that were on his bed weren't too pleased at the sudden movement but readjusted as Arthur settled down. That nightmare had been too similar to what had happened in reality, except with a nastier ending that Arthur had legitimately feared was going to happen as he held onto his brother with all he had to pull him through that window. Even now, his heart was still racing as he thought about it, the man rubbing a hand over his chest to try and calm his breathing. As irrational as it was, Arthur knew he needed to see the other personification before he'd be getting back to sleep, his mind still stuck in the nightmare's reality that left him down one brother and seeking comfort in the arms of _Francis_. Tossing the covers off of him and shivering a little, wondering if perhaps a fever had caused the nightmare. Shuffling out of the room and taking a quick check of his temperature in the bathroom, Arthur proceeded to head downstairs to try and find the troublesome American personification. Peering into the room, he wasn't surprised to find that Alfred had apparently rolled off the couch and had landed on the floor, still sleeping contently on his back with one arm over his head. Arthur smirked, debating on whether or not to wake him up so he wouldn't wake up sore in the morning, although the floor might've been a safer bet than the couch. But seeing him eased the tension that had lingered from the nightmare as Alfred seemed to be perfectly fine. Arthur sighed and took pity on Alfred, knowing that the other man's position wasn't going to make him feel any good in the morning. Kneeling down, he tried to gently wake up the larger nation, receiving a few moans and groans in the process as Alfred protested being awoken.

"Wha's wrong?" Alfred finally slurred out once he'd realized Arthur was trying to wake him up. Arthur laughed at the messy hair and sleepy face Alfred looked at him with, reminded of how he looked as a tiny colony.

"Nothing. Couldn't sleep, lad." Arthur said as Alfred propped himself up to sit beside Arthur, yawning as he did so.

"Wan' me to sleep with you?" Alfred asked, eyelids drooping from his own exhausting day. Normally such a statement might make Arthur feel the need to blush a little at the potential deeper meaning, but Arthur chalked it up to having Francis hanging around with them today.

"Sure. That sounds wonderful" Arthur said, Alfred sleepily grabbing his pillow and blanket as he got to his feet, the two of them stumbling back up the stairs and quickly making their way back to the bed. Alfred waited for Arthur to get in, asking if he needed anything to help him feel better before he got in on the other side. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, Alfred was sound asleep again. Arthur sighed as he got back into the bed, his fever making the warmth coming from Alfred all the more appealing to simply snuggle up against him. Throwing caution to the wind he scooted closer to the other personification, falling asleep much easier.

* * *

It was one of the rare times that Alfred woke up before Arthur, although it was still dark out. Not inclined to get up just yet, he was settling back into bed before realizing that he was not on the couch were he had first gone to sleep. A vague recollection of Arthur asking him to head to bed with him had him looking over to see his brother snuggled up against his side. He gently shifted about to place a hand on Arthur's forehead, finding him a little warmer than he should be. He frowned before turning to pull Arthur closer to him, gathering the blankets around him more to make them both comfortable. He stilled as Arthur sighed in his sleep, but relaxed when the British personification remained asleep. Alfred held tightly to the other, wishing that Arthur wouldn't be so difficult about letting Alfred hug him when he was awake. It was true that they had their squabbles just like the rest of the nations, but they were still close and Alfred wanted to ensure that he took care of Arthur. He smiled and took a deep breath as he indulged in cuddling with Arthur, letting himself drift off to sleep.

Arthur woke a couple of hours later, finding himself to be too hot as he found himself encased in Alfred's hold. But he figured if he was too hot that his fever was completely gone. "Alfred…" Arthur whined as he tried to get out of the stronger nation's grip. "Alfred, get up." Arthur tried again, receiving only mumbles of protest from the sleepy American personification. Sighing, but realizing that for once he didn't need to hurry up, Arthur decided to simply lounge in bed for a little longer. Alfred looked peacefully asleep and with the day he had before, Arthur felt he might deserve a little more of a rest. "Mhmmm…no more toaster parts for you Tony…" Alfred mumbled as he rolled over and released Arthur, the other man snickering at Alfred's continued habit of talking in his sleep. He would've been content to continue lying there, but his own cat decided that he'd had enough of the two personifications taking up room on the bed and began to paw at Arthur's legs to get him to move. Gently kicking the cat off with a hushed reprimand only resulted in getting the American cat's attention, Hero apparently assuming this meant it was time to play. Arthur groaned bot got out of the bed, the cats following for their breakfast. Returning to the room, Alfred remained in the position that he'd been in when Arthur left, the British personification shaking his head fondly at the image.

"Alfred…." Arthur said softly, gently shaking the other man in his second attempt to rouse the sleepy nation. "Come on lad, it's almost half past ten." Arthur said with a chuckle as Alfred seemed to not hear him. "Alright…glass of water it is then…" Arthur said, Alfred cracking one eye open.

"You wouldn't dare." Alfred mumbled, rolling over to bury his face in the pillow. "'M not a child anymore…" He said, falling back asleep again.

"That's debatable, but I wouldn't want to trigger your old habit of bedwetting either." Arthur said, shaking Alfred again. "Alfred, weren't _you_ supposed to be taking care of _me_?" Arthur teased, knowing that if the threat of sprinkling water on him while asleep failed, catering to his hero complex would most likely do the trick. Arthur felt a sense of satisfaction at seeing Alfred open both eyes this time as he recalled the previous day's events.

"Oh, right." Alfred said, bolting upright and nearly colliding with Arthur, the other man leaning out of the way just in time with an ease that came from years of practice doing that for his younger brother. "Sorry bro, how're ya feelin' this morning? You had a bit of a fever when I was up earlier…" Alfred said, Arthur realizing the downside of using that ruse to get Alfred up as the taller nation began to advance on him to check him over himself.

"I'm perfectly fine." Arthur said as he tried to swat away Alfred's hand on his forehead, his body betraying him as he gave a little sneeze.

"That doesn't sound like 'fine'." Alfred said, tackling Arthur back into bed. "You stay here and I'll get somethin' for you to eat, okay?" He said, not leaving much room for Arthur to argue with him. Alfred was up and out of the room before Arthur could say anything, the British personification sighing but resigned to spending a little longer in bed. He was feeling pretty much back to normal, but with Alfred around, he knew he very well might need the extra energy from a little longer sleep. He was woken up again by a soft-spoken Alfred with a tray of food for him, Arthur realizing he'd been asleep for almost an hour.

"Hey…" Alfred said as Arthur rubbed the sleep from his face and sat up, smiling a little as Alfred placed the tray in front of him with delicious-smelling food on it. He was a little surprised to see Alfred had made him _grits_ along with the usual things Arthur liked, not sure where the man might've gotten the ingredients for his own brand of food. "Francis called again to check in on you. Told him I had everything covered but he said he'd drop by probably tomorrow since he had other business he needed to get to today." Alfred said as he rifled through his drawer to grab some clothes, Arthur munching away at breakfast. "Anyway, I figured I'd work on some of the lower floors today to avoid a repeat of yesterday if that's alright with you. Other than almost taking a swan dive off the roof, this kinda stuff is fun. " He said, Arthur nodding along in agreement. As much as he'd liked to critique Alfred's food choices, he was aware that the other personification didn't always eat fast food and his cooking skills clearly showed it. He might even have to brag about it to Francis, although the Frenchman would inevitably claim that he'd been more influential on that aspect of Alfred's upbringing than Arthur. Alfred disappeared for a while as he changed, taking the tray away back to the kitchen and letting Arthur get some more sleep.

It was nearly one in the afternoon the next time Arthur woke up, feeling a bit of panic at sleeping for so long. More importantly, that panic stemmed from leaving Alfred alone in his castle for so long, especially after the first night's results of Alfred being on his own. Arthur quickly made his way down to where he could hear Alfred working on something. He slowed when he saw that there had been improvement in nearly every one of the rooms he passed, wondering how Alfred was able to do all of that in the span of a few hours. Then again, Arthur thought, Alfred had a tendency to try and get as much done as soon as possible. With that in mind, he approached one of the areas that had seen some of Alfred's handiwork, inspecting it with a suspicion that it had been restored with 'krazy glue' or something. But he was surprised to see that everything seemed to have been had the amount of attention that was necessary, although Arthur probably would've given a little more time to focusing on details and such, but it was otherwise nicely done.

"Hey Arthur! I didn't hear you get up!" Alfred said from the doorway, startling Arthur as the other man whipped around to face his guest. "Oh, sorry dude. Didn't mean to scare ya." Alfred said with a laugh as he approached Arthur, the other man huffing at the implication he'd been scared.

"I was startled, not scared. The only thing of yours that scares me is your English." Arthur said, Alfred rolling his eyes at the usual criticism from his older brother. "But I was admiring your work. I suppose it's not nearly as horrendous as it could have been." He said as he ran a hand over some of the woodworking that Alfred had clearly done that day, the scent of fresh-cut wood still lingering in the room.

"Gee, thanks. Your confidence in me is amazing." Alfred said as he crossed his arms over his chest, Arthur refraining from commenting about whether or not Alfred was consciously attempting to mimic him. "But I got almost this whole floor done. Nothing like good ol'fashioned American ingenuity to get progress done. It's awesome, right?" Alfred said, looking around the room they were standing in.

"Yes, well, now you're beginning to sound a tad much like Gilbert." Arthur said with a smirk as he brushed past Alfred back into the hallway, satisfied at the 'Hey!' that comment produced from Alfred. "But I appreciate the work you've done Alfred. I'm sorry it hasn't been as much of a joint effort as I'd originally planned." Arthur said as the two headed to the kitchen.

"Nah, don't sweat it." Alfred said as he wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "I usually end up with the heavy lifting whenever I do anything with anybody else – except maybe Matt. He's good with building his log cabins too." Alfred said, Arthur nodding along with the other's usual one-sided conversation. "Yeah, me and him spent some time rebuilding one of those, what'd he call em….cahuts. That's funny isn't it? Since it means cabin in French but you can be 'in cahoots' with somebody and it means something other than being in a log cabin. Ha ha ha." Alfred continued as he got himself a drink, practically pushing Arthur into sitting down at the kitchen table. "But you're looking like you're feeling better. Are you?" Alfred asked, handing Arthur a bottle of water as he gulped down one of his own.

"Yes, aside from still being in my sleepwear." Arthur said, Alfred smiling at the comment as he wiped water from his lips. "I thought I might take part in all this since it is, after all, my house. Perhaps I might one day return the favor." Arthur said, seeing the way his words made Alfred's eyes twinkle.

"That'd be awesome, but I'm not so sure you're up for it today." Alfred said, receiving an emphatic shake of Arthur's head in response.

"Nonsense Alfred, I'm perfectly fine." Arthur said, Alfred shooting him a disbelieving look. "Alright, how about I take you down to the pub later? My treat and there's a match on." Arthur said, seeing Alfred thinking over the offer. He knew that going drinking might not be the best idea since he was still a little under the weather, but he was determined not to make this a trip where Alfred ended up looking after him – he knew that not only would he not hear the end of it from Alfred for at least a few months, Francis would be sure to remind him of it too.

"Well….if you're really feeling better, I suppose we could go. But just to watch the game, right? One drink at the most." Alfred said, the last part clearly meant to sound absolute but ending up sounding more like a question.

"I can determine for myself when I've had too much, Alfred, thank you." Arthur said with an eye roll. "But it is more enjoyable to watch football with a good drink and company." He said, seeing confusion on Alfred's face before practically seeing the gears in the other's mind click into place as Alfred remembered he was talking about his version of football and not the American football games Alfred liked to talk about.

"Yeah, I don't mind a good soccer game. You get funnier when you're watching one." Alfred said, Arthur shooting him a look. "What? You do. Makes me remember you're not so uptight all the time." Alfred said, either oblivious to the growing frustration on the other's face or not caring. "But you should see Matt when we're watching hockey. We just finished watching the Stanley Cup the other day and I swear he gets like a whole other person. Makes me a little nervous when he's holding his 'lucky hockey stick' and shouting."

Arthur laughed at the image, having accepted a few of Matthew's invitations to hockey games over the years and seen first-hand the more outspoken side of the usually-quiet Canadian. "Like you are any better Alfred. Then again, you're not all that different from when you're doing anything else either so I suppose…" He began teasingly, Alfred cutting him off with mock laughter.

"Ha ha. If only you could be as upbeat as I am, you'd probably not get sick so often." Alfred said, Arthur sighing at the remark. But he chose not to rise to it, instead getting up to grab a tissue. "You sure you'd be up for going out later?" Alfred asked. "I've got no problem staying in with you if you need some more rest." He said as he looked up at Arthur with an expression that reminded Arthur of when he'd been so attentive to Arthur as a child and after he'd dispensed with his isolationist tendencies.

"Yes, Alfred. If we head out now, we can get something to eat and head to the pub." Arthur said, Alfred shooting him a confused look. "No, not all pubs serve meals like all of yours seem to do." Arthur clarified, Alfred shaking his head at the apparent absurdity. But Alfred merely shrugged before getting up with a claim of needing to shower first that Arthur was not going to argue against, chuckling as he too needed to get ready to head out.

Their meal was relatively quick, Arthur watching in both horror and fascination as Alfred seemed to unhinge his jaw to be able to scarf down the massive sandwich he'd ordered. "Alfred, you are going to choke one of these days if you're not careful. I know you probably worked up an appetite but for God's sake, chew it, Alfred!" He said as it looked like Alfred might actually have bitten off more than he could chew. Arthur was beginning to worry if he needed to give his brother the Heimlich maneuver when Alfred managed to swallow, shooting Arthur a smile as he reached for his drink. Arthur sighed and shook his head, returning to his own meal with less vigor as Alfred devoured his food. Shortly after they finished, Arthur took them to the pub he'd had in mind, the two of them sitting at a table close to the televisions that were set up.

One beer turned into a few more and soon enough, Arthur was shouting along with the rest of his people at the match while Alfred had long abandoned beer in favor of his precious Coca-Cola. He enjoyed all sorts of sports, soccer included, but his amusement was centered more around watching Arthur when the other had one too many drinks. He'd really tried to keep his drinks to a manageable number, but it seemed Arthur could always find a way to have a few more when he was in his home lands as if by magic. However, his amusement soon turned to bewildered panic when Arthur came stumbling over to him without the smile he'd had plastered on his face for most of the evening. Arthur instead had tears in the corners of his eyes, Alfred internally groaning as it seemed the other man had reached the sobbing portion of being drunk.

"Okay, time to head home." Alfred said, Arthur protesting needing to leave. The match they'd come to see had ended a while ago and there was another one on, but Alfred knew that Arthur was going to start making a spectacle of himself that would stand out from the other drunks to be found in a pub- especially if he started in on memories from hundreds of years ago as if they were only days ago, sometimes even forgetting that he wasn't actually in the past and almost causing an incident that would give away the fact that he was a personification and cause a bit of an issue. Alfred managed to guide Arthur back to his car and get him in the passenger seat, sighing when he realized he'd actually put Arthur in the driver's seat by accident. "Stupid British cars. Everything's backwards…" Alfred muttered as he repeated the process and buckled Arthur in, the other man mumbling in a version of English Alfred didn't recognize or follow. He could understand a little of Middle English from the early ventures at colonies on his lands, but he was only a small colony and Roanoke didn't exactly pan out as expected. Still, Alfred wasn't even sure if Arthur was speaking English and not old Welsh or Saxon or whatever other languages that were on his lands in the distant past. "Easy Arthur, I'm just gonna grab the map to head home. You might not need GPS but I do." Alfred said while Arthur began to try and grab at Alfred's sleeve.

It took some effort, but Alfred managed to get to the castle again in under an hour, the American carrying Arthur back up to the door. He reached into Arthur's pockets for the keys when Arthur began to sob. "Oh man, you're _that_ kind of drunk tonight, huh?" Alfred said as he brought Arthur inside, kicking the door shut. "Aw…I dunno what to do when you're like this…" Alfred whined as Arthur clung to him. Alfred managed to get Arthur into the main sitting room, Arthur clinging to him while he pulled out his phone and dialed Francis' number. Of the two of them, the Frenchman had more experience with all varieties of drunk Arthur. Alfred had some experience with a drunk Matthew, but it was different when it was his twin rather than someone who's had more history to go through when drunk.

"Bonjour…" A tired sounding voice answered, Alfred shushing Arthur. "Alfred, it that you? Why would you be calling so late, unless of course you need to talk to me about…"

"Francis, how do you deal with a _clingy_ , drunk Arthur?" Alfred asked. "He started off like he usually does but then…hey, whoa, watch the hands Arthur…" Alfred said as Arthur brushed against his side. Quick healing had the scrape healed up pretty nicely, but it still caused him to wince.

"Hon hon hon. It is a shame I missed out on this one." Francis said with amusement, Alfred pulling the phone away to put Francis on speaker so he could use both hands in stabilizing Arthur. "Sorry mon ami, but I'm afraid time is the only cure. But I'm sure you can handle him, just don't leave him alone."

Alfred sighed and grumbled as Arthur let out another sob as he held Alfred, not amused by the laughter emitting from his phone as Francis heard the situation. "I…I'm sorry. I d-dropped you…" Arthur mumbled out as he tried to take a deep breath around another sob.

"What? Dude, if you're gonna tell me you dropped me on my head as a child, I'm not gonna…Ow! Arthur, stop that." Alfred said as Arthur again irritated his side. "That's it. That's enough. Francis, I gotta go. Thanks for nothin'" Alfred said, hanging up on the still laughing Frenchman. He scooped Arthur up into his arms again, but Arthur struggled with him, making the couch the best option for Alfred to deposit him in. But a squirming Arthur meant that he caught the edge of the carpet and landed with Arthur on top of him as his back hit the edge of the seat of the couch. Wincing again, Alfred readjusted as Arthur clung to him, breathing a heavy sigh as it seemed like Arthur was just sniffling now as he lay on top of Alfred. "Dude, I prefer the laughing drunk than this one. I hope you don't get sicker from this." He said as he ran a hand through Arthur's hair in an attempt to calm him. The couch wasn't the most comfortable when it was just him trying to fall asleep on it, and the addition of Arthur as his blanket for the night was making falling asleep difficult. Eventually he felt himself drifting off, Arthur finally quieting as he too fell asleep.

* * *

Arthur woke up to the realization that not only was his head killing him, it was throbbing so hard that he could hear his heartbeat. Groaning a little as he made to sink his face into his pillow, he realized it wasn't _his_ heartbeat and deep breathing he was hearing as he opened his eyes to see Alfred asleep underneath him. Dropping his head back onto Alfred's chest, he tried to remember how badly he'd embarrassed himself, letting Alfred's heartbeat lull him into a dozing state. Listening to it made him realize he'd been clingy with his brother as he replayed the near-disaster over in his mind. His attempt to quickly move past the unsettling fear that had troubled them both, Alfred clearly more adept at it than him, was not as successful as he'd hoped. He'd very nearly lost his grip on Alfred when his brother had let go of the roof like he said, placing his trust in the British personification. Francis' anchoring of him was the only thing Arthur felt had kept him from completely losing his grip despite using all the strength he could muster. He wasn't planning on telling Alfred he'd almost ended up slipping through his fingers, this time physically rather than when he'd gained his independence. It was unsettling and although he probably should get himself cleaned up to get the stench of beer off of him, cuddling again with Alfred was secretly not so bad. But he would never admit to anyone that he didn't mind it that much when Alfred would ask to sleep beside him if frightened by one of his movies or something like that.

Arthur felt a hand in his hair and lazily opened his eyes. "Oops. Thought you'd still be asleep." Alfred said with a sheepish smile. Arthur blinked up at him before realizing their position now that Alfred was awake, scrambling to get off of him. Alfred laughed as he watched Arthur attempt to appear not so disheveled or hungover. "Don't worry. I won't say anything." Alfred said, getting up and stretching as he held his back. "But you need a better couch. I'm gonna be stiff for a while. You still feeling sick, or just hungover, or is it sick _and_ hungover or maybe more hungover than sick…" Alfred rambled until Arthur held up a hand for Alfred to stop.

"Ugh…you said you weren't going to talk." Arthur said, groaning some as his head ached. "I'm going to take something and head to the shower. Um…I'd appreciate a cup of tea if you could manage it." Arthur said, Alfred rolling his eyes at the drink but nodding nonetheless.

After freshening up a bit, Arthur and Alfred were back to restoration projects, although Arthur was not as talkative or energetic in his efforts. By lunchtime, Arthur was again taking a quick nap as Alfred was left to his own devices. He was dozing when he heard the door to his room creak open and the bed tip. The weight was more than his cat and he figured Alfred was checking in on him. He felt an arm wrap around him and pull him close, Arthur finding that he was comfortable enough not to shout for Alfred to leave right away. But as he took a deep breath, his eyes burst open at recognizing the smell of perfume and wine as opposed to the scent of fields and open air that usually accompanied Alfred. He immediately flung the arm off of him as he shouted at Francis, the other man laughing as he made to hold Arthur tight. The two continued to wrestle with one another as Alfred walked into the room.

"Iggy, where do you keep the…uh….am I interrupting something?" Alfred asked, stopping in the doorway and providing the distraction Arthur needed to squirm out of Francis' hold and onto the floor, scrambling over to Alfred as quickly as he could.

"Where have you been? The frog was trying to make a move on me while I was asleep, bloody pervert." Arthur said, Francis pretending to look offended.

"Mon cher, I was only looking to care for you. You were ill last I left and company is always comforting, hon hon hon." Francis said as he got off the bed. "But I suppose this illness needs more than just my caring embrace." He teased, Arthur looking ready to lunge at the other man and his perpetual need to irritate him. But Alfred caught a hold of his arm, standing in between the two of them.

"Whoa. Come on now Arthur, Francis might have only wanted to check in on you." Alfred said, Francis sending Arthur an innocent smile that the British personification didn't believe genuine at all. "He's taken care of you plenty of times, right? I bet that's all it was. Let's go get something to eat now that you're up." Alfred said, motioning for Arthur and Francis to follow him as he took off back to the kitchen.

"So…" Francis said as he followed after Alfred, Arthur not trusting to have Francis behind him nad preferring to keep him in sight at all times. "Perhaps you are not as ill as before but I'm sure I can…"

"I don't care what you can and cannot do Francis. Thank you for stopping by to check on me, but…." Arthur was saying before Francis abruptly stopped.

"You know, you could stop by my place more often too. It might help with that crankiness if you got out more." Francis suggested, a hint of genuine helpfulness in his voice at his invitation. Arthur sighed, looking over Francis' shoulder to see Alfred in the kitchen.

"I…well, I do take vacations just like anybody else. I suppose there might be _something_ worthwhile on your lands." Arthur said with a huff, doing his best to keep from tossing an insult in there too. Francis looked unamused but refrained from saying anything, simply patting Arthur briefly on the shoulder before joining Alfred in preparing lunch.

Francis stayed for the rest of the day, commenting on the improvements he'd seen around the old castle and inevitably comparing this one of Arthur's old homes with one of his own. As the evening wore on, mentions of other restoration work led to Alfred bringing up one of his own plans.

"Yeah, it's across the Niagara River. Matt and I can shout across it to one another on some days 'cuz he's got a house on the other bank." Alfred said as they relaxed outside, the rain not returning and giving them the chance to enjoy the nice weather. "Ha ha ha. Matt and I once went over the falls in a barrel. Man, that was so cool. Not so much when we hit the bottom but we went over his side of the falls rather than mine so we didn't, you know, break apart. Ha ha ha, Matt still isn't pleased with me on that one, but hey, if he didn't want to do it he didn't have to join me." Alfred said, Francis shaking his head.

"Mon ami, why would you do that in the first place?" Francis asked, taking a sip of his drink. "Poor Mathieu probably only went because you pushed him into the barrel." He said, Alfred blushing a little at possibly being a little overbearing sometimes in his suggestions.

"Nah, Matt can hold his own on his lands. And he'll deny it but he definitely wanted to check it out too since there were other people who'd done it – I just didn't mention that they didn't all, well, survive." Alfred said, Arthur huffing at the predictable attitude of his younger brother. "Anyway, like I said. Matt could've said no. I mean, like I was tellin' Arthur, you've seen what he can be like with his hockey. Oh, hey!" Alfred said, perking up a little in a way that had Arthur on edge. "I'm hosting the next conference. I totally can set somethin' up. Yeah, it'll be great." He said, sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Now Alfred, whatever you've got in mind, remember to talk to Matt before you do anything. You have a nasty habit of just going in head first and making other personifications unhappy." Arthur said, but Alfred waved him off.

"No, Matt'll love it." Alfred said, Francis just as wary about hearing another of Alfred's plans. "It's a longer conference so there's workshops too – I can make one of them basically a hockey game and Matt can take the lead on that one. Like you and needlepoint – does anyone actually show up for those when you schedule that?" Alfred asked Arthur, receiving a deadpan look in return.

"Mathieu doesn't do so well in the spotlight. He might not appreciate the gesture Alfred." Francis said, worried about the panic attack that such a surprise might cause for his former colony.

"How would you know?" Alfred asked, not intending for it to sound hurtful but both Arthur and Francis winced a little at being reminded about overlooking Canada as often as they did, although Alfred did it from time to time too. "It's just what he needs. I'm just giving him a push and I'll back him up so it's a win-win for him and me 'cuz he'll love it." Alfred said, sounding confident of himself.

"And what do you plan on doing when Ivan decides to sign up for that workshop and tries to overpower Matt?" Arthur asked, Alfred not seeming to be fazed by the idea. "And don't bring up that Olympics game from the 80s because it has been a while since then." Arthur said, Alfred shutting his mouth as he'd begun to start in on that game again.

"Okay, but it's still awesome." Alfred said, Francis chuckling. "You're beginning to sound a little like Gilbert there." Francis teased, Arthur genuinely laughing as Francis's comment almost identically matched his own tease to Alfred.

"Anyway…" Alfred said with a roll of his eyes. "Even if Ivan decides to bring in all his old buddies to team up against Matt's team, you know how tough he can get when his hockey is on the line. It might make the other nations remember him – or at least make him enjoy the day more. Isn't that what heroes are supposed to do, make people safe and feel better? I gotta do this for him." Alfred said as he gestured widely, wide grin on his face at the apparent brilliance of his plan. Arthur shook his head, knowing that while Alfred may mean well, this plan had many opportunities to backfire. But Alfred wasn't listening and was going to go ahead anyway it seemed. And so, for the rest of the day, Alfred was off in his own little world more than usual as he built up his plans. Arthur was trying to keep up with Alfred, the two of them back to their typical antics now that Alfred wasn't worrying about Arthur being sick. Francis seemed to find them amusing enough to warrant staying the night.

"You need any help carrying in bags or something?" Alfred asked after dinner, assuming Francis would've brought an overnight bag or something if he planned on staying. But Francis had shaken his head, not worried about it.

"Non, I will just use your washing machine and wear these clothes tomorrow. A fashion disaster but I will manage something." Francis said with a smile. Alfred looked at him curiously as Arthur groaned and leaned back in his seat as he realized what the other meant.

"No, Francis. I don't want to have you walking around my house in the nude." Arthur said, Alfred making a face as he caught on. "You and your 'sleeping walking' usually ends up with you trying to get in bed with me. Or Alfred for all I know." Arthur said, Alfred's eyes widening as he felt betrayed that Arthur would toss him under the bus – or Francis – like that.

"Hon hon hon…I had no idea you had such a creative mind, mon lapin. If you cannot stop thinking about such things, I'd be happy to indulge your hidden desires, hon hon hon…" Francis teased, Arthur knowing fully well that the Frenchman would much rather a pretty woman rather than either Arthur or Alfred. But he wouldn't put it past the Frenchman to go either way if it suited him, and he knew he'd be locking his door tonight for sure. Alfred made a hasty escape, claiming to need to call Matthew to do just as he was suggested and talk over his ideas for the upcoming conference. This left Francis and Arthur to spend the rest of the evening attempting to civilly talk, Alfred occasionally making an appearance.

Francis cleared his throat, signaling to Arthur as they were watching television that the other was up to something. Looking over, he saw Francis had an amused look on his face, causing Arthur to look around to see if Alfred had possibly set something up that he'd overlooked. "I am wondering something Arthur." Francis said, Arthur crossing his arms but looking for the other man to continue. "Did you ever, oh, have difficulty in holding Alfred when he was smaller?" He asked, Arthur genuinely confused at the question.

"What the devil are you talking about frog?" Arthur asked, brows furrowing in a way that made Francis have to work hard to keep from laughing at them. "I never had a problem raising either Alfred or Matthew until, well, you know…" Arthur said, reluctant to get into brotherly relationships with Francis.

"I only ask because there is some evidence that you may have dropped him when he was just a babe." Francis said, Arthur's mouth falling open at the insult to his abilities.

"How dare you." Arthur said, Francis smirking at Arthur getting riled up. "I was, and am, perfectly capable of raising a child. I raised several." He said, Francis continuing to return Arthur's glare with a level look of his own.

"I would not be surprised if you did drop dear Alfred on his head. It would explain many things." Francis said, Arthur sputtering in his anger as he stood up from his seat. "You even admitted it yourself the other day." Francis said calmly, his tone only furthering Arthur's anger.

"When the bloody hell did I ever say that? And don't you dare make such a suggestion to Alfred. Especially not to Matthew. If anyone has any reason to be doubted, it's you! Matthew probably had to deal with all sorts of your ridiculous notions of parenting." Arthur said, succeeding in getting Francis' temper to show as the Frenchman stood up.

"I am the most nurturing of brozers there could possibly be." Francis said, standing up straighter to use the small amount of height difference between him and Arthur to his advantage. "Mathieu was nothing but happy and content with me as his guardian. _I_ never dropped a child." He said, Arthur looking ready to strangle the other man. It was amazing how they could go from spending a pleasant evening in each other's company to outright hostility toward one another.

"Whoa, you really did drop me, huh?" Alfred said as he walked into the room, a laugh interrupting the two men. "Figures. But you two are making a ton of noise and it's kinda hard to hear Mattie." Alfred said, holding up his phone. "I'll just be outside…" He said as he headed for the backdoor.

"I did _not_ drop you!" Arthur shouted after Alfred, the other just waving to signal he'd heard him but wasn't going to say anything else as he headed out the door. Arthur growled and turned to Francis, the other man looking annoyingly confident.

"Alright, maybe just _once_." Arthur said as Francis let out a triumphant sound at the admission. "You met him as an infant. Every time I held him he was always jumping out of my arms." Arthur said as he defended himself. "But never, _never_ did I drop him like you seem to think. I was always trying to be gentle with him and you know that." Arthur said, Francis rolling his eyes.

"Only the mention of Alfred ever seems to get you this riled up mon ami. It's not good for your health you know." Francis said, sitting back down and making himself comfortable while Arthur continued to stand there. "What? I was just making small talk. You were the one to take a simple conversation and turn it into an argument." Francis said with a smirk on his face, Arthur just growling as he returned to his seat.

"I didn't drop him. I'm a good brother." Arthur muttered under his breath, although he felt like he was holding back tears as he thought about it. He heard Francis sigh from his seat, but refused to turn and look at him.

"I know, mon lapin, I know." Francis said, the silence broken only when Alfred came back inside and began to tell them about what Matt had to say in response to his ideas.

"Well, I guess you guys were sorta right. He didn't quite like the idea of having to be in charge of that workshop but he likes the idea of a hockey game. I guess it can still work out if I sign him up for it and then, maybe, get there a little late." Alfred said with a laugh, trying to get comfortable on the couch beside Arthur. "Matt woulda been fine, but I guess he'd probably be mad for a while."

"Oui. We told you. It is a good thing you actually did ask first." Francis said, seeing how Arthur held himself a little stiffly around Alfred without the American personification even picking up on that in his typical inability to read the atmosphere, not realizing he'd walked into a bit of a tense situation. Arthur looked like he was wrestling with whether or not to say something to Alfred. "He is one of a select few people I know who can make you cry after all." Francis continued, Alfred pouting at mentioning his twin's scolding of him at one of the conferences that left him in tears that one time. Arthur had been the one to speak up to make Matthew realize he'd gotten the point across, looking guilty at having upset Alfred as he did.

"So?" Alfred mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Francis chuckled at Alfred's childish look before continuing. "I am sure he wouldn't hesitate to give you another 'what for' if you had pushed that on him. Of course, it would've been _after_ the conference and probably have been _much_ worse." Francis said, having only experienced a few temper tantrums with a very young Canada, but Arthur had plenty of stories to tell about how difficult it could be at times, although they were few and very far between compared to Alfred.

"Suppose so." Alfred said a little glumly. "But it would've been so much fun. Matt and I are really good and he loves hockey even more than I do. I was only tryin' to help." Alfred said, looking like he'd actually gotten that scolding already, Francis realizing Matt probably had given him some version of it over the phone. "But I guess it'll still be fun." Alfred said with a sigh. "Maybe he's still mad at me for the last game we played out on one of his lakes while I was visiting." He said, Arthur turning to finally look at him.

"Why? Did you break something?" Arthur sarcastically asked, doing his best to keep his voice from indicating any of his difficulties at the moment. Alfred shrugged in response as he looked over to Arthur.

"Only the ice. Matt had to fish me out before I drifted too far away from the hole I fell through. He was pissed." Alfred said, Arthur and Francis' eyes widening at that story.

"Why didn't Matthew tell me about this?" Arthur asked. "I would've come to help take care of you two." He said, receiving another noncommittal shrug from Alfred that only further irritated him.

"I dunno. Maybe 'cuz it's not the first time one of us has fallen through the ice." Alfred said, Arthur leaning on the arm of the couch and rubbing his head at the news. He bit his tongue from asking anything more about the situation, Alfred not seeming to understand what had gotten the other so upset.

"Alfred, how often does that happen?" Francis asked, Alfred scrunching up his face in thought before answering.

"Not so much since indoor ice rinks, but we still like to play outside like before. It's not like every time we play one of us gets hypothermia bad enough that we end up holding onto each other under mounds of blankets in front of the fireplace." He said, Francis just shaking his head like Arthur, pitying Matthew for having to deal with Alfred's antics. "Besides, it's not like it's always _me_ – he's been known to get into his own problems too. There was a reason we had to restore that particular log cabin, you know." He said with a yawn and stretching. "It was pretty interesting when it was so cold the Great Lakes were frozen enough to cross like that. Not that the _cold_ was interesting, but it's one of the few spots Matt and I share like that and we were out. Matt fell in that time, not me, but I got him out in plenty of time to get him warmed up again. He didn't get to have blue lips like I did…" Alfred said with a chuckle before getting up. "If you guys are gonna stay up, I've got some films I brought with me if you wanna…" Alfred began to suggest, but Arthur and Francis both excused themselves, ignoring Alfred's complaint that he couldn't watch them alone. With that conversation still fresh in their minds, the two Europeans headed off to bed, Arthur making sure to lock and secure his door in case Francis should 'sleep walk'.

* * *

Francis lingered for most of the next day, greeting both Alfred and Arthur with one of his displays as his clothes were still drying by the time either had decided it was safe to attempt leaving their bedrooms. Francis had smirked as Arthur predictably furrowed his brows at the Frenchman, Alfred leaving the two of them to squabble while he grabbed a quick snack and headed back upstairs, Arthur only realizing the other had made his escape once he heard the door slam from upstairs. But other than that, Francis contributed to some of the restoration projects that had been drastically reduced by the speedy American thanks to Alfred's strength and most likely ever intrigued attention at one thing or another that kept things interesting enough to avoid usual requests that Arthur often found himself to regret giving into – or not as Alfred also was known for just going ahead with an idea anyway. After Francis had left with the typical fanfare the French personification enjoyed, Arthur attempting to show his displeasure at the kiss Francis snuck in as he was leaving as a joke to his longtime friend and enemy by furiously wiping at is face and spitting in the grass while Alfred only laughed and waved goodbye.

"Get to sleep early tonight Alfred." Arthur said as he and Alfred finished cleaning up the kitchen. Alfred groaned and rolled his eyes.

" _Brother_ , not _mother_ Arthur. You can't tell me what to do." Alfred said in his usual confident and stubborn nature that Alfred saw as more cocky than anything.

"Don't I know it." Arthur muttered under his breath, Alfred turning back around from where he'd stood by the sink to look questioningly at Arthur. But he just rolled his eyes and finished up with Arthur in the kitchen, the two of them watching some comedy, Arthur shaking his head at Alfred's reactions.

"Man, I don't get half of why this stuff is supposed to be funny." Alfred was saying around a handful of popcorn and a laugh, making Arthur wince at the sight of Alfred. "But I get slapstick. Hey! We should watch 'The Three Stooges' next time you visit. You will come visit, right?" Alfred asked, sounding only slightly less sure of himself as he turned to face Arthur with a hopeful expression on his face.

Arthur felt himself crumble at the sight of Alfred sitting on the floor in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. It made him look like the little boy Arthur couldn't say no to, making it difficult to deny Alfred's request. He sighed and gave a slight nod. "If you can properly prepare for me to visit, then I may just do so. Just as soon as I am completely over this cold of mine." He said with a sniffle, seeing Alfred's face droop at the admission.

"I thought you were better." Alfred said, getting up to walk over to Arthur with a scrutinizing look on his face. Arthur waved him off though, but Alfred was adept at halting the other man's attempts to keep him away. "I thought your fever was gone and everything. I can stay another day if you want and keep you company." Alfred offered, but Arthur shook his head. Although Alfred continued to keep talking right through his protests. "Yeah, it's my boss' plane and even if the pilot's busy, I can always fly it back myself. I can stay as long as it takes for the hero to take good care of ya'. All you had to do was ask." Alfred said with a wide smile on his face.

Arthur was getting increasingly panicked at the idea though, worried about the possibilities of Alfred's extended stay. It wasn't often that the two of them spent time like this and there was really only so much of Alfred 24-hours a day that Arthur could take before he was bound to snap at the younger nation. Being sick made that probability only higher as his patience threshold usually was drastically reduced, unless his illness made him completely apathetic as sometimes happened. Hearing Alfred declare he'd just fly himself over the ocean made the threat of him lingering around longer all the more real, and Arthur realized he'd have to be quick if he wanted to persuade Alfred to leave.

"How about this lad…" Arthur said as Alfred stood beside his seat, forcing Arthur to look up at him more than he normally would have to if they stood that close. "I promise I will visit soon if you head back without a fuss, hmm? And this is just a small head cold."

"You sure do get sick a lot." Alfred said as he continued to scrutinize Arthur, the other man shooting him a glare at the comment about him being sickly. "But if you're really sure. I mean, I _can_ stay." Alfred said with a look of concern in his eyes that touched Arthur. It made him feel a little guilty at trying to push him off, but he knew Alfred could be clingy and that it was probably for the sake of his sanity that he kept their visits with one another from having no definite end. Alfred would be back before he knew it, sometimes quite literally with the amount of times the American had seemed to just materialize. For someone with such a bad sense of geography, experience as a fighter pilot made it so that Alfred almost always went around as he pleased.

"No lad. I really am fine. No fever to keep me in bed, but if you don't head back, your boss will make the idea of me visiting for any period of time not an immediate option. You probably have work to do too." Arthur said, seeing that get through to Alfred as the younger personification looked a little guilty at the mention of avoiding work for a little longer. "I promise I'll visit before the next conference, alright? I might even consider staying over at your house if that is what you had in mind." Arthur said with a fond smile, Alfred pretending like he didn't care either way if he had company. But with that attempt at a compromise appearing to be successful, Alfred let the matter drop and the two headed off to bed. Arthur found that he did sort of miss the usual excuses Alfred would toss his way in an attempt to justify why the younger nation wanted to share a bed with him, the American personification sleeping through the night in his own bed.

Seeing Alfred off with another promise to come visit with him as soon as he could, Arthur did his best to keep true to his word. By the end of the week, he was back to feeling in good health again and had managed to find the time to visit with Alfred. The American had been as energetic as ever over the phone, although being forced to wait until the end of the month meant that Arthur received more phone calls than usual from Alfred over ridiculous things. Arthur found himself beginning to regret promising to see his younger brother quite so soon, but with Francis offering to keep him company, Arthur opted to choose the lesser of two evils – he just wasn't too sure which was which as he waited to board his plane.

* * *

Arriving at the airport in New York City, Arthur caught another flight out to western New York upon Alfred's instruction. Going against Arthur's expectations, Alfred was waiting for him in the airport, boisterously calling him over before glomping onto the other man. Arthur did his best to pry Alfred off of him, awkwardly smiling in embarrassment as the two of them earned some looks from other travelers. Heading toward Niagara meant that there was the hustle and bustle of tourists that Alfred and Arthur had to deal with on the way to Alfred's house, Alfred chatting practically the whole way about stuff he'd had planned for Arthur's visit and the upcoming world conference that Alfred was going to host. Once they arrived, Arthur recognized the area immediately as he and Alfred got settled.

"So I thought it'd be pretty great if first we checked out the falls 'cuz I've…" Alfred was saying as he situated Arthur in his room. But as he was speaking, his phone went off, prompting him to look at the screen. "Oh, it's my boss' secretary. I gotta take this. Be right back Iggy!" Alfred called out as he let Arthur unpack, returning shortly with the news that he needed to head out for something.

With Alfred out, Arthur looked around the house. This one wasn't as large as some of his others, but not as extravagant as his apartment in New York City that Arthur had seen once. Checking the kitchen to see that Alfred had actually gone out and stocked it before Arthur arrived, the British man decided to try and return the favor that Alfred had done for him while he'd been ill. He pulled out a few ingredients, resolved to making dinner for the two of them and surprising Alfred with one of his home-cooked meals. It had been a while since he'd made anything other than a stew for Alfred, and that had been when Alfred had been dealing with a cold of his own at the time. He'd set the food in the oven and was working on something on the stove when he heard the familiar litany of profanities that announced Alfred's alien friend. He followed the voice to hear that Tony was apparently speaking through some device, no doubt looking for Alfred to answer.

"Hello?" Arthur asked as he picked up a small circular device that looked like it could have come off a science fiction set.

"Limey bastard, limey bastard…" Tony responded with his usual greeting for Arthur, the British man sighing in irritation in an attempt to not just return with curses of his own.

"I know you can speak some English other than a string of obscenities that would make Romano blush." Arthur said as he rubbed his forehead. In return, there was a pause on the other end before Tony responded with a few mutterings before asking for his friend by name.

"No, America is away at the moment. He had to go out for business matters but he should be back shortly." Arthur explained patiently. "If you want me to pass on a message, you will have to speak to me properly." He said. He waited again, wondering why the alien wouldn't just call Alfred's cell phone. But he figured the alien would stick to his own preferences in communication even if he did join in with Alfred on his video games. A brief "Call later limey bastard" was the last thing he heard before a series of three beeps that signaled the rude alien had hung up on him. Shaking his head at the results trying to be polite with Alfred's friend produced, he returned the device to where Alfred had left it on one of the tables in the hall. He jotted down something on one of the notepads left on the table as a reminder of the nonproductive call before realizing that there was a strange smell in the house.

He paused in his movements as he sniffed, trying to place it before realizing that he was smelling smoke. He rushed back to the kitchen, opening up the oven and getting hit in the face with a cloud of smoke. He waved it away as he leaned over the counter to open up another window, taking the pot off the stove and removing the dishtowel that had caught fire to smother the flames. He coughed at the smoke in the kitchen, opening up the kitchen door to let more of a breeze in to move the smoke out of the room. Rushing outside to clear his head, he coughed a few more times as he turned to look at the house.

"Arthur!" He heard Alfred's voice call out to him, prompting him to spin back around to see the American man rushing out of his car. "Arthur, what happened? Are you alright?" He asked as he stood beside him.

"I'm fine." Arthur grumbled, coughing once more before feeling completely clear of the smoke's effects. "But you've a pressing need to fix that oven of yours. A new stove too." He said, Alfred looking behind the other man to see the smoke pillowing out from the kitchen.

"Aw, geez…" Alfred said, realizing what had happened. Sirens could be heard in the distance and he could see the smoke being blown over towards his brother's house. He figured that it probably had been doing so for a while. "I told ya I'd be right back." Alfred said, looking back to Arthur as he looked over the other man once more to make sure he was really fine. Arthur waved him off again though, taking a step back from the worried American personification. "I know. I was just…" Arthur began to explain but another voice interrupted him.

"Alfred!" Matthew shouted as he pulled up in his own car, quickly sprinting over to the house before Alfred's shouts drew his attention. "Oh maple! I saw the smoke and I got worried. What's going….oh, hello Arthur." The Canadian personification said, pausing mid-rant as he noticed the other's presence. Turning back to Alfred, Matthew seemed calmer. "Never mind." He said, Arthur crossing his arms as he shot a look at the two boys.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Arthur asked with a raised eyebrow, the North American twins nervously feigning any meaning behind Matthew's comment. But luckily the two were saved from having to comment any further when the fire department arrived, Alfred quickly explaining that the situation was under control and thanking the men for their time while Matthew talked with Arthur.

"We could all go out for something?" Matthew suggested once it was just the three of them, suggesting a place on his side of the river that Alfred and Arthur agreed to, Alfred a little more enthusiastically in the hopes of off-putting any further attempts by Arthur to cook. They spent the evening eating well, Arthur finding himself at ease with having Matthew to temper Alfred's more outgoing personality.

They decided to check out the falls the next day, Matthew returning home after their meal. Arthur was pleased to have had the other's company, not having expected a run-in with his other former colony. The three of them were currently on a boat tour, Alfred going to get drinks, when Arthur was hit with an unexpected question.

"So, um, Arthur…" Matthew began, looking a little nervously toward his brother and former caretaker. At Arthur's encouraging look, Matthew continued with his question. "Well, I was just wondering, whether or not I might have been as difficult as Alfred when we were younger." He began, Arthur chuckling a little.

"Not nearly, Matthew. Where did that come from? Is it because I mistook you for Alfred again this morning at breakfast?" Arthur asked, feeling a little guilty at the frequency with which that seemed to happen. "I do apologize and you know I don't do it on purpose." Arthur said, Matthew nodding along understandingly as one who'd long since been resigned to their circumstances.

"N-No, that's not it." Matthew said, looking to see if Alfred was heading back yet. "It's just…well, you know the old joke about getting dropped on your head as a baby…" Matthew was saying, Arthur's eyes widening as he realized where this was going.

"Matthew, are you asking me if I ever dropped you?" Arthur asked, feeling a little insulted. Matthew could plainly see the irritation on the British personification's face.

"No, no, no….it's just a joke…he he he…." Matthew tried to recover with a smile, his face turning a little red. "I may have heard something from Francis the other day and I know you sometimes would forget about me with all your other colonies and, well, if you dropped Alfred then it probably would've been easy for you to…." The Canadian said, beginning to ramble as the level of irritation on Arthur's face seem to increase the more he furrowed his brows, making Matthew's voice get quieter and quieter as he tried to purposely become invisible.

"That…that blasted loose-lipped frog!" Arthur growled, knowing immediately where Matthew would have gotten the idea to ask him about that particular aspect of his past. He could just as easily be rambunctious like his brother, especially when playing outside, that Arthur did have some difficulty in keeping Matthew safe. But when compared to America, or especially any other colony like Australia with all its deadly animals, Canada was practically the perfect colony. "When I get to see him again, he's going to meet the business end of my wand." Arthur ranted, Matthew trying to calm his big brother down before Alfred got back.

"Please, Arthur, it's not Francis' fault I asked. I was just…um…curious." Matthew said, Arthur huffing but refraining from any further insults.

"I did not drop you when you were younger Matthew." Arthur said, choosing to look away and focus on the waterfalls in the distance, the boat nearing the edge of the mist produced by them. "I was very meticulous with all of my colonies, Alfred included even if I did give him more freedoms than any young child should be given." Arthur said, Matthew making a small noise of acknowledgement before the two lapsed into silence again.

"Hey! Drinks for everybody!" Alfred said as he arrived, his cheery attitude out of place with how embarrassed Matthew looked. "So I got you your stuff Matt but I thought that maybe one drink wouldn't do too much damage on you Arthur. The portion size on these tours are always skewed to get more money outta ya so it's like three-quarters of a beer anyway." Alfred said, leaning up against the railing next to his twin. "Don't know why they gave me such a hard time when you were able to order drinks fine last night." Alfred said to Matthew, the Canadian shrugging. "Like a couple of days difference in our birthdays makes them think I really ain't your twin. Ha ha ha." Alfred said, oblivious to Arthur's bleak mood as he continued to talk about how awesome going under the falls on his side was, Matthew having opted out of that particular adventure as he knew Arthur would likely not be pleased when Alfred inevitably pushed him under the water that reached onto the observation deck at the bottom of the falls. Alfred seemed to have enjoyed it though, happily sipping his drink. "Oh, hey Arthur? How long you able to stay, dude? We can check out other spots in this state if you want. You remember Lake Placid, right? Two Olympics there after all, or maybe we can check out something along the Adirondacks…"Alfred was saying, but Arthur was not really in the mood to keep up with the nonstop talking that Alfred was capable of, leaving that up to Matthew to fill in the brief gaps.

Arthur was too busy thinking over what he might need to say to put such rumors to rest, knowing that if Francis had spoken with Matthew casually about his apparent 'discovery' he was sure the other personification had invented, then he most likely had gossiped with anyone who would be willing to spend the afternoon with him. He was so lost in his planning, practically feeling the weight of his wand in his hand as he envisioned all sorts of possibilities, that he wasn't prepared for the sneak attack by Alfred.

"Boo!" Alfred shouted into Arthur's ear, making the other man jump and slip on the water that was on the deck, Alfred reaching forward to catch the front of Arthur's shirt to keep him from falling. "Whoa. You were really out there. Ha ha ha. The look on your face was awesome though, and you haven't even finished your drink yet." Alfred said, patting Arthur on the back.

"Yes, well, I had other things on my mind Alfred." Arthur said. "But I should be heading back home soon. I only planned on staying here for three days at the most before returning back to my lands." He said, Alfred's face dropping at losing the chance to play around with a visitor on his lands. "Don't give me that look. Need I remind you that you have plenty of _work_ you're supposed to be doing too?" Arthur said, Alfred rolling his eyes.

"I'm always on top of my work. Always was and always will be." Alfred said, Matthew beginning to feel like the other two personifications had forgotten about him again despite being on his border. "Need I remind _you_ of how I showed you just how _capable_ I am?" Alfred asked, standing straighter and folding his arms over his chest. "I've been working on the world conference plans for a while. I don't just slop together a bunch of stuff the night before…" Alfred said, a little offended that nobody ever seemed to be able to keep up with him.

"I'm sure…" Arthur said, but at Alfred's change toward a more serious mood that seemed so out of place on the other personification, Arthur gave a small smile and tiny nod to this North American twin. "I know Alfred." He said when Alfred's stance didn't ease up, Matthew sighing and looking up to the sky as he muttered about poking Alfred's tendency to try and be the absolute best in everything. A few rounds of 'friendly' catch with Alfred was something Matthew thought might convince Arthur not to do that so often, but he stayed out of their discussion at least until they were securely on his territories. Then he'd have something to say to them, not that they would listen to him anyway. But any further aggressive quirks of Alfred were set aside as his phone began to ring, taking his attention off of Arthur, Alfred still not sure why Arthur seemed to be so eager to be done with Alfred's hospitality.

"Oh, hey Kiku…" Alfred said, taking a few steps away. "Yeah, I already submitted that but if I can get the specifics I might be able to pass along the information before anything is sent out. I can finalize the details with…wait a minute Japan, I'm by a waterfall right now and can barely hear you. Yeah, a waterfall…You might of heard of Niagara Falls…" Alfred was saying as he disappeared back into the cabin of the boat to try and hear the other personification better. Arthur sighed at the change in their otherwise pleasant follow-up vacation to the one Arthur had offered to Alfred. Nothing like a well-timed phone call to completely prove Arthur's previous assumptions wrong, Matthew's sympathetic look only making Arthur feel worse.

"Why would Francis make that story up Arthur? Seems kind of personal for you, eh?" Matthew said, the two of them getting pressed closer together by other passengers eager to take pictures from the deck. Matthew had plenty of pictures of him and Alfred by the falls, and an older picture of him and Arthur. He was a little disappointed that Alfred was still on the phone and unable to join them for a picture of all three of them, but he used the time the best he could.

"I don't know why he'd bring something like that up now." Arthur said with a small shrug. "I…Alfred had a near disastrous accident while he was helping patch up one of my homes. It was why I thought I'd invite him over in the first place and Francis just had to be there to see Alfred nearly tumble off the roof." Arthur said, Matthew nodding and keeping quiet, choosing not to mention that Francis had already told him about that. At the time, it had seemed like Francis was calling with the good intention of informing him of what had happened with his twin. "I apparently said something while…after a few rounds at the pub with Alfred. It seemed to be all Francis needed to run with this clichéd form of gossip. Alfred doesn't seem too concerned about it, although the fool usually does laugh off most things." Arthur said.

"True." Matthew said. "But you've only seen the flip side of that a few times Arthur. He may laugh and usually it _is_ because things either go over his head or he feels he can handle or solve the problem in his usual easy manner. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't think about it for a while later." Matthew said with a shrug, Arthur staring at him with a questioning expression on his face. But before he could say anything, Alfred was back, shoving his brothers over to take a picture by the falls quickly before the boat turned away and they lost their chance. Alfred's Hollywood smile was quickly put in place as he held out his phone to snap several pictures. He laughed as he looked them over, Matthew laughing as he managed to get bunny ears behind his twin without him knowing. "Nice one Matt. I'll email you these later, 'kay?" He said before heading back inside, pressing more buttons on his phone.

"Well, you wanted him to get back to work." Matthew said with a sigh, phone buzzing with the emailed pictures, pulling them up so that Arthur could look them over. Even he could see the slightly disgruntled look on his face in the first picture, but was surprised to see his fondness for the twins showing up in his slight smile in the last one.

"May I have this one too?" Arthur asked, Matthew nodding and forwarding it immediately to the British personification. "I suppose we should take the time when we can to relax a little." Arthur said as they headed inside, spotting Alfred on the phone in the corner. "Even if American forms of vacation usually involve some sort of strenuous activity that most of the world considers the complete _opposite_ of relaxing." Arthur said, he and Matthew joining Alfred over at a table. Alfred gestured for a minute but Arthur grabbed the phone from him, sending his apologies along to Ludwig who'd not been pleased to have been cut off.

"Ludwig is not going to be happy with you at the conference. You cut him off mid-lecture." Alfred said with a laugh, but seemingly back to his usual happy self. "He's almost as bad as you sometimes, but I can get that. He's got Gilbert hanging around him more than is probably healthy." Alfred said before returning to some of the things he'd been saying about what to do to fill the next day or two before Arthur returned across the ocean. Despite the quick bounce back emotionally that Alfred showed, Arthur found himself sighing at some of the more ridiculous things the American said. It was times like when Alfred was suggesting that they all try to build a better bucket to go over the falls again, possibly to purposely irritate Matthew, that Arthur did see why Francis might have some believability behind his latest rumor.

Satisfied that such a rumor would have run its course by the time of the conference, Arthur hadn't bothered to bring that topic up again over the next two days except to remind Alfred that he hadn't dropped him – neither as a developing personification nor at his castle, Alfred's nightmare about the incident resulting in Arthur having been awakened by a shout in the middle of the night and making Arthur aware of Alfred's own fear of falling. It wasn't as though the American wasn't as paranoid as some other, less robust personifications, but it was a fear that practically all personifications shared.

* * *

However, by the time the next conference was held on Alfred's lands, Arthur was startled by hearing that the rumor hadn't quite drifted off yet. Alfred was finishing up with the administrative details, handing out itineraries for the various workshops, meetings and topics, and other political niceties that came with these events. Arthur had been looking it over, the papers both very business-like and yet, showy enough that no one could forget which country was hosting. _More stars and stripes for the borders_ , Arthur thought with a roll of his eyes, looking to see if Alfred had decided to pull another one over on him and rearrange the workshop he'd agreed to host for the American. It wouldn't be the first time Alfred had moved the date or time on him, likely just to see if he could get Arthur's temper to flare.

"This is very interesting." Ivan said as he leafed through the pamphlet as well, despite having been technically suspended from joining in on G8 level meetings. Almost as invisibly as Matthew, Ivan found a way inside to take his usual seat, just as Gilbert continued to attend conferences. "But will not work with these two workshops right after each other." He said, Alfred visibly rolling his eyes dramatically at another of Ivan's criticisms. But he always left time for the other personifications to look over the itinerary and let him know of any issues one might have with it – an attempt at maintaining peace among the various countries, even if most of the time Alfred insisted that his original plan was the best and that they would love it anyway if they just followed his lead, genuine smile in place.

"Ivan, there's nothing wrong with how I've set things up." Alfred said as he turned to look at the page Ivan had indicated to see what the other was talking about. "Not everybody can go to every workshop, you know. I've tried…" Alfred said, Francis snickering at the time Alfred had run around to try and do as he said when Italy had been the host country. Feliciano had been just as energetic but it seemed even he knew that it would be too much, preferring to relax instead. "There's gonna be some overlap so everyone can get to do something."

"Da, I know." Ivan said with his usual cheery smile in place. "But you cannot have hockey 'workshop' after vhatever this 'tea room social' is supposed to be that Britain is conducting. Players may not be feeling the desire to be playing game after certain dishes." He said, Alfred's eyes widening at hearing the name of that particular workshop. Alfred hastily scanned the page while Arthur couldn't help but smirk.

"Arthur, how did you…" Alfred began, looking up to see a smug Arthur. That call from Kiku about readjusting some details gave him the perfect opportunity to find where Alfred was keeping the most relevant files for this conference and to rifle through them once Tony had sufficiently distracted him with that promised later call. It wasn't too hard from there to change the not completely unbearable attempt to appease Arthur by having an 'equestrian stroll' through the nearby park to something Arthur would be just as comfortable with and something Alfred would inevitably feel uncomfortable with at the same time.

"You did not notice?" Ivan asked, blinking childishly before giving a small chuckle. "I suppose this is to be expected from one who had been dropped as a child." He said, Francis unable to keep from loudly laughing at that along with several other personifications.

Alfred looked over to Arthur, seeing the British personification had dropped his head in his hand. " _I did not drop him on his head_! Francis…" Arthur managed to get out before growling and launching himself at the other personification, the two of them scuffling like usual. Alfred was back to being amused at this point though, laughing at the two of them as things appeared to be as normal as usual. It wasn't actually the first time someone had asked Alfred if he'd been dropped on his head as a child before anyway.


End file.
